Support Code 5100 Canon Printer: Adjust Waste Ink Assembly - Canon Paper Jam Fix - TR8520 Error

Today I’ll be walking you through the fake paper jam message that Canon printers will sometimes have. If you’ve already made sure that there’s no debris in the printer, stuck paper pieces, and that the PE sensor and PE sensor levels are okay, and you don’t know what else to try, then hopefully, I’ll be able to help.

Waste Ink Assembly Pad

First, we will check the waste ink pad assembly located underneath the printhead. One issue that may be causing this false error message is if the assembly is crooked. The assembly should, ideally, be parallel to the printhead. The lever in charge of moving the assembly is spring-loaded, so sometimes it can push it into a crooked position.

When you see the waste ink assembly, you’ll notice a white box that looks like it’s floating on the black base. Four springs are supporting this white box, one on each corner. You don’t have to move the black base when you move the white box. If you turn the piece over, you’ll see two tabs on the black bottom of the box, another really long tab on the right side of the assembly, and a short tab that goes to the left side of the assembly.

Your goal is to put the two side tabs into their corresponding grooves. At the same time, you should be able to see a rod underneath where the assembly was. You will have to place the two middle tabs so that they can pick that up.

Positioning Everything Properly

One of the main problems is that the tab on the edge is in the same position as the two tabs in the middle. So if you put the side tab in first, it won’t work because the rod is still underneath the two middle tabs. Using a screwdriver, remove the cover to take out the white piece underneath.

Be very careful because the way this piece was designed makes it very easy for components to fall off and get lost. The circular white piece goes back on pretty easily, so just put that back in, and we’ll move on to the next part.

You’ll have to feel around to see if the lever is still underneath the two middle tabs. If it is, you’ll have to be even more careful because accidentally dislodging it will make it much harder.

If it does detach, I suggest checking your serial number and contacting Canon and asking about whether or not it’s still under warranty. If it is, I recommend just getting a new printer rather than continuing with this process. It’s going to be much easier. If the warranty doesn’t cover it anymore, you could try selling it for parts on eBay. If you are set on fixing the problem, here’s how to do that.

How to Fix it when it’s not Positioned Properly

To start:

1. Move the lever to the left a little bit.
2. Try to slide it underneath the two middle tabs and attach it to the tab on the right side.
3. Catch the lever before you try to get it into the groove vertically. The whole thing must go in.

You might notice that the assembly is still sideways a bit. But if you lift it, you’ll see that it’s a bit more complicated because we’ve corrected the lever placement. Now, pulling from underneath, lift it and push forward. Be careful not to pull too hard as it could break the two middle tabs.

You should hear a click, and the assembly will fall back into place. If you press gently on it and see that it can go up and down, that’s a good sign. That means that the lever is in place, and it should function properly.

The Other Possibility

Another possible cause for the false error message is much easier to fix than that one. This alternate cause is that the lever and the two middle tabs haven’t come completely apart. In this case, the assembly probably just came off the lever slightly, and all you need to do is lift it slightly and push it forward a little. This should cause it to fall right into place.

For a more detailed walk-through of this process, check out my video on it. Browse my many other videos about fixing printers and refilling your own ink on my YouTube channel, Kevin at BCH. Happy printing!